Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Slow Cooker Asian Beef & Noodles

Every time I make stir fry with beef it turns out tough and rather unsightly.Not this time.Cooking a tougher cut of meat (top round) over low heat for hours and hours renders it super tender.Of course this is not a traditional stir fry, but it does have the same delicious stir fry flavors.

Now, I made a few changes from the original recipe.First off, the recipe calls for stew meat.If you like the convenience of stew meat, by all means, go for it (you will still need to trim off the fatty parts).However, be warned, you may end up spending an additional $2 per pound for stew meat when it is really the same as a top round steak, so be a smart shopper!Personally, I was willing to take the extra 5-10 minutes of prep time and save myself $8.

Secondly, if you have any veggie-phobes in your house, you may choose put the stir fry vegetables into the mix at the beginning.This will cause them to all but disintegrate and blend in with the meat.I love how pretty the veggies look mixed in with the beef, so instead, I threw the veggies in at the end.It looks pretty and I figure the veggie-phobes can pick around them.

Place beef slices into a crockpot.In a medium bowl, combine stir fry sauce, chicken broth, and crushed red pepper.Pour mixture over the beef.Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 9-10 hours (you can cook on high for 4-5 hours, though low is recommended in order to tenderize the meat properly.)

30 minutes before the cooking time is complete, break each noodle block into quarters and stir into the beef mixture.Stir in frozen vegetables and turn heat to high.Cover and cook on high for the remaining 30 minutes.Stir again and serve.